Clik here to view.
Are You a Modern Canary?
(Photo credit: Wikipedia) This is cross-posted from Dr. Claudia Miller’s excellent blog, here, where she writes about her fascinating work on intolerance to chemicals and their impact on health. Thanks...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A World of Geegaws: Making Discovery Jars
Tchotchke (/ˈtʃɒtʃkə/CHOCH-ka) is a small bauble, doodad, doohickey, gewgaw, gismo, goolya, kitsch, knickknack, lagniappe, swag, thingamabob, thingamajig, toy, trinket, whatchamacallit,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Have Yourself a Merry (and Non-Toxic!) Christmas
Just like the folks at Fox News say, at my house every year there is a War on Christmas. A War on Christmas hazards, that is. I actually get all ooey gooey over Christmas. I love bedecking the mantel...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Must Read: Flame Retardant Chemicals in my Gatorade??
Gatorade Vending Machine (Photo credit: revtango) The New York Times ran a great piece today detailing one 15-year-old’s battle to remove brominated vegetable oil — “BVO” — from soft drinks in the U.S....
View ArticleClik here to view.
So.Incredibly.Sad.
Postcard (Photo credit: Marita Cosma) About the shootings in Connecticut at an elementary school that killed at least 18 children and 9 adults. How many times does this have to happen before we get...
View ArticleClik here to view.
DIY Gift: Photo or Holiday Card Wine Corkboards
It cost two dollars and 42 cents, which is cheaper than a cup of coffee these days. When I saw this shabby chic porcelain frame (with emphasis on the shabby) at our local Value Village last week, I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Newtown: Crying for Change
Bushmaster AR15 (Photo credit: aconaway1) Today, the funerals began. A friend with two young children told me today that she still can’t look at any of the news without losing it. I’ve been...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Reasonable Gun Laws: An Opportunity for the Return of the Moderate Republican
Forgotten Future (Photo credit: much0) “Everything is hard before it is easy.” ― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe It was 2005. I was sitting in the Senate Commerce Committee room at a hearing, and Senator...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Merry Christmas! And a Winter Wonderland of Crafts
It almost snowed today! At least, we got a few half-hearted flurries. Which fit wonderfully with our latest crafty ventures — winter wonderland painted creations. The supplies are simple, the options...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Greener Gift Review: A (Delish) Fungus Among Us
When my brother (aka, “the brotherman,” as he likes to say) delivered a mushroom farm as a Christmas gift, I was suitably intrigued. It’s a completely easy winter gardening project for the kitchen...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Happy New Year & Fun with Felt
I’ve had a bad case of the Crafties this holiday. So I though I would subject you to one more post on a DIY gift that needs no special occasion: an easy way to make a felt play-station for a toddler...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tending a Winter Garden
The beginning of the year has been a time of fallowness and flu for us, as well as change. I’ve been having my own personal wrestling match with the Great Flu Epidemic for three weeks now, and canNOT...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Mule Named Sal: American Folk Music for Toddlers
Pete Seeger, American folk singer (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Yesterday may have seemed like a normal day to you, but that’s because you were likely unaware that it was, in fact, my stage debut. After...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Nothin’ But Blue Sky
What to do with a low-ceilinged, windowless basement room? Give it to the toddler, of course… But then, it just screams for some cheer. When my friend Lisa showed me the charming mural she had painted...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Best and Worst Week, Basically Ever
The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly (Photo credit: Cayusa) I’ll start, as one always should, with the good news. On Friday, the state of California, acting at the direction of Governor Jerry Brown, has...
View ArticleClik here to view.
5 Toddler Transition Tips That (Sometimes) Work for Me
Just this morning, we were rushing to get out the door, late and harried, and I was putting our bags in the car when I heard Maya start to loudly bawl behind me. She had wandered out the front door and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Bodacious Valentine’s Day
(Photo credit: EraPhernalia Vintage) Yesterday, in honor of V-day, I had the pleasure of attending a ground-breaking panel on boobies. Sadly, because this is 2013, when the subjects of breasts arise,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Re-Entry: On the Razor’s Edge of Work/Life Balance
(Photo credit: MarkGregory007) This week, I went back to work. I started a terrific new job as Legislative Director of a progressive union of nurses, National Nurses United. It was as good as it could...
View ArticleClik here to view.
And now, for some things YOU can do on flame retardants…
(Photo credit: treehouse1977) I’ve been busy getting used to working again, getting Maya transitioned to the new schedule, working on my nascent book proposal, and hatching plans for a new on-line...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Dear California, You Owe America a New Couch
Sent to: tb117comments@dca.ca.gov Bureau of Electronic and Appliance Repair, Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation 4244 South Market Court, Suite D Sacramento, CA 95834 Dear Governor Brown and Chief...
View Article